BG Character Planner - A paperdoll build planner for BG:EE, SoD and BG2:EE
Covi
Member Posts: 2
Hi everyone,
This started the way these things usually do. I came down with a bad case of start-overitis, fired up a fresh run with two new chars, and was wondering about which prof point to put where, what to outfit, etc etc...
I couldn't find a planner, so I built one in the browser.
https://bgchar-planner.com
What can you do with it?
- Plan across all three editions. Pick BG:EE, SoD or BG2:EE and the item list narrows to what's actually obtainable in that game.
- 12 Classes, 33 kits, all 7 races with class/kit/race/alignment restrictions surfaced as you build.
- A full paperdoll - 12 equipment slots - drawing on the real item database.
- Watch every number move as you equip and/or level up : AC, THAC0, APR, max damage, saving throws, resistances, HP, ..
- Every number is explained : the Combat Summary breaks each stat into base, DEX modifier, gear, combat style; an Active Effects panel lists every race, class, kit and item effect feeding into it.
- Weapon proficiencies and fighting styles, thief skills and spell progression tables per level.
- It flags the awkward stuff: items your class can't use, "of Protection" items that don't stack, a launcher with no ammo in the quiver, ....
- You can share your sim with a simple button.
Rather harder than I expected
I went in thinking "it's a character sheet, how hard can it be". Then I sat down with the ruleset properly and thought of all the quirks...
Strength damage bonus applies to slings and thrown weapons, but not to bows or crossbows. Bracers of Defense set the base Armor Class rather than modifying it, and step aside entirely once you put armor on. Ranged attacks key off the Dexterity missile adjustment rather than Strength to-hit. Saving throws quite happily go negative. A Monk punching with a weapon in the off-hand still counts as dual-wielding, penalty included.
None of that is a complaint, the depth is a large part of why we're all still playing this thing decades later. It does mean that "just add up the numbers" turns out never to be just adding up the numbers, and getting each of those cases right is most of what the last while has been.
This is a beta, and I mean it
I've dug out a lot of those. I have absolutely no illusions that I've found them all.
The classes and kits worry me more, if I'm honest. Items at least come from files I can read directly. Class and kit features came from the fan sites and wikis and those sources don't always agree with each other, or with the game as it's actually patched today.
The level-scaling ones are the worst offenders, because they go wrong quietly: a bonus that ticks up every three levels instead of every two looks perfectly reasonable at level 5 and is badly off by level 20. Nobody notices that in casual use.
If you main a particular kit and know its progression in your bones, that's the corner I'd most like a second pair of eyes on.
So please tell me what's wrong
Every fix so far started with someone spotting a number that didn't look right, and this community knows the numbers better than any test I could write.
The most useful reports look like: **"Item X shows Y, but it should be Z."** Though a vague "this feels off" is still worth posting; I'd rather chase a hunch than never hear about it.
And it doesn't have to be a bug. I'd like to hear what you make of the thing generally. Whether it's actually useful for planning a run, what you went looking for and couldn't find, anything that's confusing or in the wrong place, or just plain missing. I've been staring at this on my own for long enough that I've lost all perspective on what's obvious and what isn't. Tell me it's ugly if it's ugly.
Still on the list (non-exhaustive)
- Dual-classing
- Multi-classing
- Whatever you tell me matters more then these
One last thing : It's free, it has no ads or cookies, and it's staying that way. I'm not interested in wrapping a BG fan tool in banners.
There is a Ko-fi button tucked in the corner if you ever feel like buying me a coffee, it covers the hosting and keeps the lights on. No pressure at all: honestly, a good bug report is worth more to me right now than a coffee.
Thanks for reading, and happy min-maxing and hoping this site adds something extra to the community.
Best regards,
Covi.
This started the way these things usually do. I came down with a bad case of start-overitis, fired up a fresh run with two new chars, and was wondering about which prof point to put where, what to outfit, etc etc...
I couldn't find a planner, so I built one in the browser.
https://bgchar-planner.com
What can you do with it?
- Plan across all three editions. Pick BG:EE, SoD or BG2:EE and the item list narrows to what's actually obtainable in that game.
- 12 Classes, 33 kits, all 7 races with class/kit/race/alignment restrictions surfaced as you build.
- A full paperdoll - 12 equipment slots - drawing on the real item database.
- Watch every number move as you equip and/or level up : AC, THAC0, APR, max damage, saving throws, resistances, HP, ..
- Every number is explained : the Combat Summary breaks each stat into base, DEX modifier, gear, combat style; an Active Effects panel lists every race, class, kit and item effect feeding into it.
- Weapon proficiencies and fighting styles, thief skills and spell progression tables per level.
- It flags the awkward stuff: items your class can't use, "of Protection" items that don't stack, a launcher with no ammo in the quiver, ....
- You can share your sim with a simple button.
Rather harder than I expected
I went in thinking "it's a character sheet, how hard can it be". Then I sat down with the ruleset properly and thought of all the quirks...
Strength damage bonus applies to slings and thrown weapons, but not to bows or crossbows. Bracers of Defense set the base Armor Class rather than modifying it, and step aside entirely once you put armor on. Ranged attacks key off the Dexterity missile adjustment rather than Strength to-hit. Saving throws quite happily go negative. A Monk punching with a weapon in the off-hand still counts as dual-wielding, penalty included.
None of that is a complaint, the depth is a large part of why we're all still playing this thing decades later. It does mean that "just add up the numbers" turns out never to be just adding up the numbers, and getting each of those cases right is most of what the last while has been.
This is a beta, and I mean it
I've dug out a lot of those. I have absolutely no illusions that I've found them all.
The classes and kits worry me more, if I'm honest. Items at least come from files I can read directly. Class and kit features came from the fan sites and wikis and those sources don't always agree with each other, or with the game as it's actually patched today.
The level-scaling ones are the worst offenders, because they go wrong quietly: a bonus that ticks up every three levels instead of every two looks perfectly reasonable at level 5 and is badly off by level 20. Nobody notices that in casual use.
If you main a particular kit and know its progression in your bones, that's the corner I'd most like a second pair of eyes on.
So please tell me what's wrong
Every fix so far started with someone spotting a number that didn't look right, and this community knows the numbers better than any test I could write.
The most useful reports look like: **"Item X shows Y, but it should be Z."** Though a vague "this feels off" is still worth posting; I'd rather chase a hunch than never hear about it.
And it doesn't have to be a bug. I'd like to hear what you make of the thing generally. Whether it's actually useful for planning a run, what you went looking for and couldn't find, anything that's confusing or in the wrong place, or just plain missing. I've been staring at this on my own for long enough that I've lost all perspective on what's obvious and what isn't. Tell me it's ugly if it's ugly.
Still on the list (non-exhaustive)
- Dual-classing
- Multi-classing
- Whatever you tell me matters more then these
One last thing : It's free, it has no ads or cookies, and it's staying that way. I'm not interested in wrapping a BG fan tool in banners.
There is a Ko-fi button tucked in the corner if you ever feel like buying me a coffee, it covers the hosting and keeps the lights on. No pressure at all: honestly, a good bug report is worth more to me right now than a coffee.
Thanks for reading, and happy min-maxing and hoping this site adds something extra to the community.
Best regards,
Covi.
0
Comments
Thank you for the kind words!